Toxic stress has been identified as a key mechanism by which poverty impacts health and empirical evidence on the relationship between poverty and biological markers of toxic stress is accumulating...

There is a growing, multidisciplinary body of evidence on the effects that neighborhoods have on family outcomes. This evidence is important for social workers as we work with clients and communities from a person-in-environment perspective. In this article the authors present findings from a systematic, integrative review of neighborhood effects specifically for crime and safety. Thirty-seven research studies using random samples from urban, U.S. areas between 2002 and 2008 are reviewed. Findings suggest socio-demographic characteristics of neighborhoods and neighborhood processes are both predictive of crime and safety. Further, some neighborhood conditions may affect crime and safety in unexpected ways. Implications for social work practice, neighborhood interventions, and evidence-based practice are discussed.

Households that secure subsidized housing have a range of economic vulnerabilities. For these individuals and families a housing subsidy represents an important stabilizing trait. However, a housing subsidy can be revoked for lease agreement violations. This article assesses demographic risk profiles of lease violations for nonpayment of rent for households receiving a housing subsidy. Using data from Mercy Housing, a private provider of affordable housing in 18 states, the authors assessed risk profiles of over 15,000 households. Results showed that risk profiles depend on housing type and that households in “family housing” are most at risk of receiving a lease violation for nonpayment of rent. Understanding risk profiles for housing instability is an important first step in understanding effective eviction prevention approaches in subsidized housing. Future research should expand on the dearth of evidence on housing instability for individuals and families receiving housing subsidies, with a particular focus on testing the effects of housing services on eviction prevention and other indicators of well-being.